Anxious in Atlanta: At the Altar Book 12 (A Magnolias and Moonshine Novella 11)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Dillon came back into the room. “Thanks for sitting with her, Mrs. Stevens. I’m here for now.”

  “Get your phone calls made?” she asked curiously.

  “Yup. We’ll be getting a delivery in a few hours. Let me know as soon as it arrives, please.”

  “Of course, I will.” Mrs. Stevens took Jean’s empty tea cup and plate with only a few crumbs left on it. “I’ll make sure you have a supply of ginger snaps at all times.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Stevens. I’m so glad to finally get to meet you.”

  “And I you. It’s good to see that my boy is with a woman worthy of him.” Mrs. Stevens left the room on that note, carrying the dirty dishes into the kitchen.

  Dillon sat down beside Jean again, taking her hand in his. “So, are you ready for your nap?”

  “Nap?” Jean frowned. “Did Dr. Foster talk to you?”

  “Yup. She told me she didn’t think you were paying attention to her when she told you to nap for an hour every afternoon, so it’s my job to see you do it.”

  “You’re going to be one of those fathers, aren’t you? We’re going to do everything by the book.”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea what kind of father I’ll be, but I’m very anxious to find out.” He stood and reached down for her hand. “Time for your nap.”

  She groaned. “I’m really not tired. All I’ve done is lie around for a week.”

  “I know. You’re going to nap anyway.” He walked carefully beside her, feeling a little less anxious about the possibility of her falling. She seemed to be steadier on her feet than she’d been even an hour ago. He led her to the room he’d had their things moved to and took her inside.

  She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Am I allowed to lie in bed and read, doctor?”

  “I know you’re being sarcastic, and I don’t care.” He knelt at her feet and removed her socks and shoes. “I want you to close your eyes for at least an hour.”

  She was too tired to keep fighting him, so she stretched out under the covers. She was surprised when he grabbed a book, propping himself up with a pillow beside her. “You’re actually going to sit there and make sure I sleep, aren’t you?”

  He nodded. “I am. I need to make sure you’re all right. It’s my job as future dad.”

  She turned onto her side, facing away from him, and her breathing immediately became deep and even. He smiled at her back. She might be griping every step of the way, but she was following doctor’s orders, and that’s all that really mattered to him.

  Jean woke up to a darkened room. At first she thought she’d slept so long that it had grown dark, but then she realized he’d simply closed the blinds. “How long did I sleep?” she asked with a yawn.

  “A couple of hours. How do you feel?” He was reading on a tablet.

  “Like if I’m asked that one more time, I’m going to scream.” She sat up and scooted across the bed to him, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m so glad I’m home.”

  “Dinner should be ready. Do you think you can eat?”

  She nodded sleepily. “I’m hungry. I have an anti-nausea pill to take with dinner.”

  “How often do you take those?” He’d tried to memorize everything the doctor had told her to do, but he’d missed a few things.

  “Three times a day. She said to just take them with each meal, and I should be fine.” She rolled to the other side of the bed and swung her feet to the floor. “Do you know what we’re having?”

  “Ginger chicken.”

  She laughed. “It’s a good thing I like ginger. I don’t think Mrs. Stevens is going to let me eat anything else for the rest of my pregnancy.”

  “She used to make me take medicine I didn’t want to take, and she was always making me eat things that would make me feel better, whether I was sick or not. She’s been part of my life since I came to live with my uncle. She was my first nanny, and then she took over as housekeeper. She’s as close to a mother figure as I have.”

  “She obviously cares about you a great deal.”

  He hurried around the bed and took her hand, helping her to her feet. “You feel steady?”

  She nodded. “I really think the medicine is helping a lot. Dr. Foster said that this could stop at the halfway point of my pregnancy, but there’s a better chance that it will last longer than that. You’re going to have to let me walk on my own before too terribly long.”

  “We’ll see.” He led her to the dining room, where Mrs. Stevens was just putting dinner on the table.

  “I need my medicine,” Jean said as he urged her to sit.

  “On my way!”

  Jean looked at Mrs. Stevens. “I think you did something right with him.”

  “I did a lot of things right with him. He’s a good man.” Mrs. Stevens looked at her inquiringly. “Are you going to be okay? It’s time for me to go, but I can stay longer if you need me.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I don’t need you and Dillon hovering over me all night.”

  “Leave the dishes for me. If they’re done, I’ll know it was you and I won’t be happy. I don’t want to have to move in here to help Dillon keep you down, but I will if necessary.”

  Dillon walked back in, handing Jean her pill. “I’ll make sure she takes it easy.” He set a small wrapped box beside her plate.

  Jean picked it up. “Should I open it?”

  “Yes!” Dillon waved as Mrs. Stevens left, giving all his attention to Jean.

  She slid the pretty purple ribbon off the box, and unwrapped it. When she had it open, she laughed softly. “Frank’s Fudge! How?”

  “There’s a small candy shop downtown that sells it. I Skyped Erin and got your favorite flavor before calling the shop. They were willing to deliver for a small fee.”

  “Small? Or ridiculous?”

  He shrugged. “Does it matter? You have Frank’s Fudge in your hands.”

  She leaned over and kissed him. “You’re the best husband in the whole wide world.”

  Dillon grinned. “I know.”

  Chapter Nine

  Cleaning out her desk at work the next day proved to be much easier than Jean expected. She left an empty box on her desk as she walked back to Gordon’s office, Dillon beside her. He was still afraid to let her out of his sight for more than a few minutes at a time.

  She walked into Gordon’s office, which had the door open, and immediately sat down in the chair across from him, which she knew he wouldn’t like, but she had to reserve her strength for more important things than talking to him. “Gordon, this is my husband, Dillon Jeffries. He came to help me clean out my desk. My doctor doesn’t want me working for the rest of my pregnancy, so I’m going to give notice.” She handed him the letter she’d typed and printed at home. If she did go back to a formal job after the baby was born, it would be a job she wanted to do, not something she hated.

  Gordon immediately stood, paling a bit. “Dillon Jeffries? Are you Lawrence Redding’s nephew?”

  Jean hid a smirk at the way Gordon snapped to attention at Dillon’s name. She’d never realized how much she’d enjoy a moment like this, and she didn’t know if it was the pregnancy hormones bringing out the evil in her, or what, but it was fabulous.

  Dillon nodded curtly, a look on his face that Jean had always associated with the wealthy privileged. She’d never seen it there, so it surprised her for just a moment. “I am.”

  “It’s so good to meet you. When Jean told us she married and changed her last name, I had no idea she’d married you. Welcome to our firm. Can I get you something to drink?”

  Dillon shook his head. “No. Nothing. I accompanied my wife here today, because she’s not capable of walking long distances by herself with as ill as she’s been.”

  “We’ve all been so worried about Jean. She’s our top performer here and a huge asset to our firm. We’re truly going to miss her.” Gordon smiled at Jean in a way that made her skin crawl. That must be the smarmy smile she’d been told he reserved for cli
ents. She hoped she never had to see it again.

  “I won’t be able to work out my notice, but I thank you for the opportunity to work here.” Jean got to her feet carefully. “We’ll pack up my desk and go.”

  As Dillon and Jean left his office, Gordon called after Dillon, “I’d be happy to help you set up an account with us!”

  Dillon turned, glaring at Gordon. “You not only won’t have my business, I’ll make sure you don’t have the business of any of my friends, either.” He walked with Jean to her desk, making her sit while he piled all of her personal belongings into the box they’d brought.

  A couple of her co-workers smiled at her, and one woman who she’d had lunch with in the break room more times than she could count, walked over. “I’m sorry you’ve been sick. Are you okay now?”

  Jean shook her head. “I have hyperemesis gravidarum, which is a fancy way of saying severe morning sickness. I’m having a hard time keeping food down, and doctors are worried if I lose any more weight, I’ll lose the baby.”

  “I’m so sorry!” Stephanie told her. “I had no idea. Is that why you were in the hospital?”

  “Yeah. I just got out yesterday. When I left work sick, I didn’t have the stomach bug everyone else was fighting.”

  “Let me give you my number, and maybe we can do lunch on the weekend sometime. I can’t believe how much you used to do. Gordon is not pleased to have to divvy your work up among the rest of us.”

  Jean smiled. “I’m sure he’s not. I did more than my share, no doubt about it.” She typed Stephanie’s number into her phone and gave her number in return. “Aren’t you afraid of what Gordon will say if he sees you talking to me?”

  Stephanie laughed. “We all saw how he reacted when he realized who you were married to. I’m safe.”

  Jean bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. “Well, give me a call soon, and we’ll go to lunch. I might have my watchdog with me, but we’ll go.”

  “Are you able to drive?” Stephanie asked.

  “No, not yet. Maybe not for a while. I’m not steady on my feet, and I’ve lost consciousness. Only once, but Dillon and my doctor are determined to never forget it.”

  Dillon finished with the packing, turning to Stephanie. “If you want to have lunch with Jean, I’ll make sure she gets to you. I’ll eat by myself across the restaurant if I need to.”

  Stephanie smiled. “Thank you. I wouldn’t want her to be hurt by spending time with me.”

  “I won’t let that happen.” Dillon picked up the box, frowning at Jean. “I am going to take this to the car and come back for you. I don’t want you walking that far if I’m not ready to catch you.”

  Jean rolled her eyes. “I’m not as sick as he makes it sound.”

  “She’s sicker,” Dillon said. “Don’t let her leave.”

  “I won’t.” Stephanie pulled up a chair and sat down close to Jean. “Dillon’s handsome. You lucked out.”

  “I really did. He’s a good man too. He was able to locate my favorite chocolate that’s only sold in one place in the whole city for me yesterday, because I told him I wanted it.” Jean was surprised at Stephanie’s friendliness. She was the only person she’d really had any social dealings with at the office, but she was shocked to be sought out this way.

  “Lunch has been so boring without you. You should come back every day for lunch with me.”

  Jean grinned. “Oh, wouldn’t Gordon love that?”

  Gordon walked over, noting that Jean and Stephanie were sitting close together talking. “Don’t you have work to do, Miss Patterson?”

  Stephanie smiled. “Dillon asked me to watch over Jean while he’s gone. He’s worried she’ll try to follow him and get hurt. We wouldn’t want that on our heads, would we?”

  “Oh, of course not. You watch over her then. Tell your husband if he ever needs a good investment firm, we’re more than willing to speak with him. I would take him as my personal client and give him the special treatment.”

  “I’ll let him know.” Jean spotted Dillon walking toward her and scooched to the edge of her chair. She felt very awkward and slow as she moved.

  Dillon took her elbow and helped her to her feet. “It was good to meet you,” Dillon said, nodding at Stephanie. “You okay to do this? Or do you need to rest for another minute or two?”

  “I don’t have to rest for thirty minutes every time I walk for five. Maybe my body wants to, but I don’t need it.”

  “Okay. If you need to rest, just let me know.” He walked beside her, their fingers entangled. He was obviously watching every move she made, and Jean couldn’t contain the trickle of pride that rushed through her. She had a good husband, who was handsome and well-respected. It was nice to have people who had once blown her off look at her like she was someone for a change.

  Much to Jean’s dismay, the morning sickness didn’t end at twenty weeks. Or even at twenty-five. She was well into her third trimester, and still struggling with it every day. With the help of medication, and much resting, she was able to gain the minimum amount of weight the doctor wanted her to put on, but not an ounce more. They did weekly sonograms to make sure the baby was still growing.

  It was eight weeks before her due date when Dillon came home from the job he was working, going to find her immediately. She was on the couch with her feet up, talking to Erin on her Kindle. “He’s so beautiful! I can’t believe little Darren is here!”

  “I still can’t believe Al gave in and let me name him that, but honestly I think he would have agreed to let me name him anything I wanted as long as I survived childbirth. He was really freaked out!”

  “Well, hopefully little Lisa will be easier on her mama when she decides to arrive.” Jean’s eyes met Dillon’s. “My husband is home. I’ll probably talk to you tomorrow. You’re not going anywhere, and neither am I.”

  Erin laughed. “Isn’t that the truth. My sweet little parasite keeps me from going anywhere. Love you!”

  “Love you too!” Jean lifted her hand in a wave as she tapped the end call button on her Kindle. “You came home!”

  Dillon sank down beside her on the couch. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

  She shrugged. “I get so bored during the day. How do women manage to not work? I feel like I should do something constructive, not sit around under a blanket all day reading or staring at the television. Do you want to hear something terrible?”

  He smiled at her, wondering how she was going to cope with being a mother. She was so independent, which he loved, but being tied to a baby all the time was going to drive her crazy. “What?”

  “I actually watched a little bit of General Hospital today, and I liked it. I think I’m dying!”

  “You’re not dying just because you liked one episode of General Hospital. I promise!”

  She sighed. “But I want to watch it again tomorrow. I have got to find something to do to keep me from losing my mind while you’re working. Let me decorate the nursery.”

  “Absolutely not. The nursery will be upstairs, and you are not climbing stairs without me here. No way. Not happening.”

  “So can we go up there now and I can look at the space and get an idea of what I want to do with it? Then tomorrow while you work, I can order all the stuff I need. And I can start ordering beautiful little outfits for our angel.”

  “That you can do. As long as you promise to let me help you put it up when it arrives.” He leaned forward and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, opening it and removing a credit card. “Here. Go crazy.”

  “What’s my limit?” she asked. She worked well with budgets and was always happy to have one.

  “I don’t know. What’s reasonable? Is twenty thousand enough?”

  Her eyes grew wide. She lived in a big beautiful home, but sometimes she forgot just how much money he had. “I’m sure I can do it for less than that.”

  “Whatever. Do you want to go up and look now? Did you get a nap today?”

  “Got my nap, and
yeah, let’s go look. I need something to keep me occupied. She’ll be our little princess, so I could do a Disney Princess theme…Or there’s always Winnie the Pooh. Or Sesame Street! I love Sesame Street.”

  “Anything you want. It doesn’t matter to me.” Dillon stood up and offered her his hand to help her up. She was still too thin, but her face had filled out a little bit since her early pregnancy. “Let’s go look. Do you want me to measure?”

  She shook her head. “Nah. I’ll figure it out. I’m sure the room is bigger than any baby has ever lived in since the beginning of time. She’s going to be rotten.” She had to stop and sit down halfway up the stairs. “I can’t believe I’m still dealing with vertigo. I’m already thirty-two weeks. Most women are done with morning sickness between sixteen and twenty weeks!”

  “You need to stop looking up ‘normal’ pregnancy symptoms. You and Lisa are not normal!”

  “Obviously.” Jean patted her belly. “It’s a good thing I love her, because she’s making me just a little bit crazy.” She felt a little foot kick her hand and reached for Dillon’s hand quickly, pressing it to her side. Mrs. Stevens had felt the baby kick. Stephanie had felt the baby kick. Even the doctor had felt the baby kick. Every time she tried to get Dillon to feel it, the baby stopped kicking.

  Dillon’s eyes widened as they met hers. “Does it hurt?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. I’m not so fond of her kicking my bladder, or any other vital organs for that matter, but when she’s just kicking my side, I kind of like it. I know she’s still going strong.” She waited until the baby finally quit kicking before standing. “Let’s go up.”

  He carefully helped her to her feet, leading her into the room that was attached to the master. “This was the nursery where they put me when I first came to live here.”

  Jean walked into the room, looking around. She was right. The room was huge. No baby in the world needed that much space. She looked around, closing her eyes as she tried to think of what should go there. She’d never really decorated anything, except the small apartment she’d had, and that had been mostly haphazard. She wanted her daughter to have a nursery fit for a princess. “Okay, I have some ideas. Are you ready to start the long voyage down?”